Heian
Kyoto · 平安Browse Kyoto’s cultural heritage from the Heian period (794 – 1185). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
A Heian National Treasure, the wooden canopy of Tō-ji hangs above a secret Fudō Myōō in the Mieidō. Unseen by the public, it is one of few ranked as sculpture.
Over the gilded Amida in Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall hangs a 1053 National Treasure: a shell-inlaid black-lacquer square canopy holding an openwork floral round canopy.
Tobatsu Bishamonten at Kyoto's To-ji, a Tang-dynasty National Treasure that once guarded Rashomon gate. The 189.4 cm figure stands on the palms of the earth goddess.
At Kurama-dera above Kyoto stands Japan's oldest Bishamonten triad, a National Treasure whose central guardian lifts a hand to his brow and gazes toward the capital.
A 313.6 cm Fukūkenjaku Kannon at Kōryū-ji, Kyoto's oldest temple. Three eyes, eight arms, carved from one block, it survived the 818 fire and stands in the Reihōden.
A ninth-century National Treasure no one is allowed to see: the secret Fudō Myōō hidden in Tō-ji's Mieidō, held by tradition to be Kūkai's own devotional image.
At Hōbodai-in Gantoku-ji in Kyoto's western hills stands an 88-cm Heian bodhisattva in half-lotus, a National Treasure of kaya wood whose identity scholars debate.
Two of the twenty-one statues in Tōji's three-dimensional mandala, the four-faced Bonten and the elephant-riding Taishakuten are ninth-century National Treasures.
Daigo-ji's National Treasure Yakushi triad: a 177cm tenth-century Medicine Buddha with a gourd jar and seven-Buddha halo, now displayed at the Reihōkan museum.
Carved in 33 days in 1103 for a prince-monk of Ninna-ji, this 11-cm sandalwood Yakushi is the sole surviving work of Ensei and Choen, founders of the Enpa school.
At Jingo-ji in Takao, Kyoto, this National Treasure Yakushi Nyorai stands about 170.6 cm, carved from a single block of kaya wood, with a stern early-Heian face.
The National Treasure 'Rigen Daishi Handwritten Disposition' preserved at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto is an official document written in 907 CE by the temple's founder, the monk Shōbō (Rigen Daishi). Recording the transfer of temple management to a senior disciple in his final years, this single handscroll is an exceptionally rare example of early Heian-period calligraphy and a vital primary source for the history of Japanese Buddhism. It is periodically displayed at Daigo-ji's Reihōkan Museum and in special exhibitions at major museums across Japan.
Discover the Rimōhitsu Hōken Hyō, a National Treasure document attributed to Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. This 9th-century calligraphy masterpiece records the presentation of tanuki-hair brushes to Emperor Saga, revealing the origins of Japanese brush-making culture.
Discover the Ruijū Utaawase, a National Treasure anthology of over 200 Heian-period poetry competitions preserved at Yōmei Bunko in Kyoto. Explore its literary significance, exquisite calligraphy, and the aristocratic world of waka poetry contests.
The only manuscript of the Ruiju Koshu, a classified edition of the Man'yoshu compiled by Fujiwara no Atsutaka, held by Ryukoku University, Kyoto; a National Treasure since 1953.
The National Treasure Wakan-shō Gekan (Saisen), held at the Yōmei Bunko in Kyoto, is a surviving portion of the Wakan Rōeishū anthology transcribed on brilliantly decorated paper (saisen) with calligraphy attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari, one of Heian Japan's Three Great Calligraphers. Discover the exquisite fusion of poetry, brushwork, and decorative paper arts from a thousand years ago.
A pair of Heian Two World mandalas at Jingoji in Kyoto, drawn only in gold and silver on purple twill silk; the oldest large mandala, recovered by Mongaku in 1184.
A National Treasure cast in 858 on Mt. Hiei, this bell bears a dated mirror-script inscription and is Japan's sixth oldest dated bell, now at the Sagawa Art Museum.
A thirteenth-century Southern Song painting of water buffalo attributed to Yan Ciping, owned by the Sen-oku Hakukokan; a National Treasure since 1957.
A twelfth-century manuscript of the Manyoshu, Japan's oldest poetry anthology, copied by the celebrated calligrapher Fujiwara no Sadanobu onto luxurious mica-printed paper. Treasured by the Maeda lords of Kaga for over three centuries before being presented to the Emperor Meiji, it was designated a National Treasure in 2023 and is one of the Five Great Manyoshu of the Heian period.